Woven splendour at Keynes Park
Patrick Dougherty leaves his mark in willow
Willow artist creates woven splendour
Patrick Dougherty, the internationally renowned willow artist, has completed his four days of work at Keynes Park near Cirencester, and left behind a truly breathtaking structure, which already has been visited by hundreds of people
Supported by Lesley Greene and JohnCharles Kimberley of the In Our Element Arts team from the Cotswold Water Park Society, Patrick worked with over 50 people during the week, both professional artists, basket weavers, amateurs and local teenagers. All played a significant role in helping to shape the sculpture, guided by the creativity and imagination of Patrick. The structure which incorporates four living willow trees has been collectively named Keynes Twist, a name which aptly describes the unusual spectacle which greets walkers as they venture down the footpath along the west side of Lake 31.
The end of the project on Thursday 31 May was marked by a gathering on site of staff and other people closely involved in the project. Chief Executive of the Cotswold Water Park Society, Dennis Grant said “ We are very grateful to Patrick for coming over from the USA to work here at Keynes Park, and I would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who was involved right from the start including the rangers, the Arts Team, Lower Mill Estate, and the other funders”.
Patrick Dougherty said, at the end of his visit, “This has been a great opportunity for local artists to be inspired and to think about how we apply a natural locally sourced material to a space to give a sense of place. The important thing has been the mark making, like drawing a line on paper, but instead forming lines to suggest movement and expression through willow rods.
Lesley Greene and John Charles Kimberley were really pleased with the whole event and commented “ Patrick is such(omit) an inspirational and generous artist who brought out excitement, creativity and a powerful awareness of our environment in all the people who worked alongside him”.
The structure will be maintained throughout the coming year through a variety of ongoing projects. The whole project has been made possible through funding from Arts Council England, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Gloucestershire County Council and Lower Mill Estate.
